One Long Valentine's Day
by lfbrox
Summary: Here is my answer to the Valentine's Challenge. Just Max and Logan and their Valentine's Day that starts out friendly and ends up.....more than friendly.
1. A friendly Valentine

One long Valentine's Day 

Author: lfbrox

Rating: M

Romance/Humor

Timeframe: Season 1. Sometime between Art Attack and The Kidz Are Aiight. So Logan can walk. Let's forget about the Lydecker, Zack and the Reds. This is supposed to be a story about Valentine's Day – M/L style.

_AN: Okay. Here is my answer to the Valentine's Day Challenge. Part two will be posted shortly. Please read and review. I hope you like it. No plot or bad guys here. Just our two favorite characters and their usual banter and sexually charged interaction._

_Thanks to my new beta Maria656 and all the people who encouraged me to write this._

**Chapter 1: A friendly Valentine**

"All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon sand." – Ella Wheeler Wilcox

**Jam Pony: Friday, February 14th 2020, 9:00 am:**

"Whatch'a doing tonight, boo?" Cindy asked Max while they got changed for work.

"Don't know? Why? You wanna do something?" Max replied, putting on her jacket and storing her non-work clothes in her locker.

"Suga, you have no idea what day it is, do ya?" Cindy said, rolling her eyes at Max indifference when it came to classical holidays – especially the more romantic ones.

"What? You mean Valentine's Day? Sure I know that it's today. But we're both single, so I thought we'd kick it tonight. Make fun of all the sappy couples." Max explained, already knowing that in a second or two Original Cindy would start talking about her and Logan.

"So you're not gonna hook up with roller boy?" Cindy asked, already knowing that in a second or two Max would start saying that she and Logan weren't like that and were just good friends.

"Logan and I aren't like that. We're just good friends. We can hook up each and every day of the year. But not Valentine's Day. That would just be weird." Max defended her strictly platonic relationship with Logan. If he had made any plans for tonight then he would have told her so days ago. Or at least last night when they were having dinner after an EO mission. But he didn't say anything, so she figured that he intentionally didn't invite her over. She was disappointed for a good minute before realizing that it was probably better that way.

"Whatever ya say boo. But Original Cindy has to bail on you tonight. Picked up a nice lickety chick last night while you were at your boyfr.., ahm, good friends' place for a candlelight dinner." Cindy said and smiled a knowing smile.

"So you going out with her tonight?" Max asked, ignoring Cindy's boyfriend and candlelight dinner remark.

"No. I invited her over to our place for a nice dinner and whatevah the night brings." Cindy explained with a wink. "And that's where you come in. Or not come in as a matta of fact. You know Original Cindy loves you like a sista. But ya gotta hang elsewhere t'night. Aiight?"

"But what am I supposed to do? Kendra is having a romantic evening with Walter. Yuk. Herbal spends the night with his wife and even Sketchy has plans." Max said. Every other night she could just go to Logan's. She could even spend the night – in his guest room of course. But tonight?

"Don't know boo. You could always go to Logan. Eat, play chess or whatevah you guys are doing." Cindy suggested.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry bout me. Enjoy your evening. I'll be fine," Max said and walked over to Normal's desk to get her first run.

"Bip, bip, bip Missy. Today is one of the biggest days for us. Lots of presents need to be delivered. Try to be a little nicer today," Normal yelled and threw a heart-shaped package to Max.

"This day is gonna be a bitch," Max mumbled, stored the package in her backpack, grabbed her bike and headed for the exit.

**Fogle** **Towers, 10:00 am:**

_...Love is not all: It is not meat nor drink_

_Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain,_

_Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink_

_and rise and sink and rise and sink again._

_Love cannot fill the thickened lungs with breath_

_Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;_

_Yet many a man is making friends with death_

_even as I speak, for lack of love alone..._

"Jesus Christ." Logan sighed and turned the radio off. After trying a few different channels he finally gave it up to find one that didn't quote love poems non stop.

"What's the matter Logan? No date for Valentine's Day?" Bling asked after entering the kitchen.

"Valentine's Day. It's just a cheap marketing campaign from the flower and candy industry. We have 364 other days a year where we have the opportunity to show that we love someone. But we don't. And come February 14th we all run around like headless chicken trying to find chocolate or fresh flowers and plan a special evening. It's pathetic," Logan said finishing his breakfast.

"So I'm right. No date for Valentine's Day," Bling repeated, looking at Logan with amusement.

"Let's start with our work out session. I have important things to do today," Logan said in annoyance and brushed past Bling towards the therapy room. So he didn't have a date. Big deal. It's not like he wanted one anyway. Sure he could've asked Max to come over for dinner, but he didn't know how she would react to that. Would she think it was a date? They weren't like that. Okay. He liked her a lot. Maybe more than she liked him. But she was also his best friend. Funny. He didn't even know her for that long. But still. She was his best friend and he couldn't afford to lose her. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the friendship. And if that meant denying his feelings – so be it.

"So is Max coming over tonight?" Bling asked while Logan started lifting some weights.

"I don't think so. We have no plans," Logan answered truthfully. If she wanted to come over and join him for dinner and maybe a movie than that was fine. If not he would spend the evening working.

"You haven't invited her over for dinner?" Bling asked again.

"I already told you. We made no plans. Why?" Logan replied, slightly annoyed with Bling.

"I know, I know. You two aren't like that. I just thought you guys would have dinner. I mean you have dinner all the time. Why not tonight?" Bling explained his interest.

"We had dinner yesterday. She's not over every night you know," Logan answered, a little out of breath.

"Forget man. I'm sure she understands," Bling said, dropping the topic.

"What do you mean – she understands? Do you think she expected me to invite her over? Should I have? I don't even know if she is free tonight. Maybe she has a date." Logan defended his decision to not invite Max over.

"Logan. If Max is not with you she is at work or hangs with Original Cindy and her other messenger friends. If there were anybody in her life right now I'm sure you'd know," Bling said and handed Logan a towel to wipe off the sweat.

"Why would I know? She doesn't need to tell me if she's seeing anybody. You think I should give her a call?" Logan asked while Bling started to work on his legs.

"I'm not telling you what to do Logan. All I'm saying is that you and Max are probably spending Valentine's Day alone. You might not be ,'like that', but you are friends. That's all I'm saying," Bling finished.

"Okay. I think about it," Logan answered.

"Whatever." Was all Bling had left to say. He wouldn't push Logan into doing something. But he could at least nudge him in the right direction a little.

**Jam Pony, 11:30 am:**

Max had been right. This day really was a bitch. She didn't know how many Valentine's Day packages she could deliver to quirky females anymore. And how surprised they had all been. Like they didn't expect it or something. Good thing she was immune to all that. Phony sentimentality. Yeah. That was it. Pathetic.

Still, she grabbed her pager and checked it again. He hadn't paged her. Maybe she should just go over to him after work. She had a good excuse. Cindy had kicked her out of the apartment for the night. Where else could she possibly go? No way she would go alone to Crash. It wasn't a romantic place where you would take someone for a Valentines date, but insensitive idiots like Sketchy would definitely be there with their dates. No she wouldn't go there. She was young, she was hot, she was free. She didn't need any pity. She didn't need a man.

She checked her pager again. _Why the hell didn't he call?_

**Fogle** **Towers, noon:**

"Max. Hi. I'm calling to see if you had any plans for tonight. Nothing special, really. Just two friends getting together for dinner and a movie. Maybe. I know it's already late so if you have other plans it's okay. I mean why shouldn't you have other plans? Ahhhhrrrrgggg. Great Cale. You stutter like a little school boy. It's nothing special. So stay calm," Logan chided himself. He already tried five different ways to ask her to come over tonight but he always ended up stuttering. And she wasn't even there. Why was that so hard? If he didn't do it soon it would be too late anyway.

So he picked up the phone, took one last encouraging breath and dialed the familiar number. He punched in his number and set the phone back in the cradle trying to collect his thoughts for when she called back.

Which was about 35 seconds later.

"Me hitting you back," Max said as her usual greeting.

"Hey Max. That was quick," Logan observed, but also tried to save him some time.

"Yeah well. It's lunch break. What's up?" Max asked, hoping he at least called her to do some leg work since he didn't invite her for dinner earlier.

"Not much. More like nothing at all. Eyes Only is unusually quiet. I hope it's not the calm before the storm," Logan explained, still trying to buy him some time.

"No downtrodden to protect or drug dealers to bust. World is coming to an end," Max joked, wondering why he had paged her when there was no work to be done.

"I hope not. Hey. I just wanted to see if you had any plans tonight," Logan said, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he was.

"Plans? Me? No. No plans," Max answered quickly. Damn. She needed to calm down. That so didn't come out as cool and indifferent as she had planned it to sound.

"Well, I thought since there is no work and since the rest of the world is behaving crazy due to Valentine's Day, we could just hole up at my place. Have dinner and watch a movie or so," Logan suggested. There. He said it. Without stuttering. Even though he didn't plan on mentioning Valentine's Day.

"Sure. Sounds good to me. Is it okay if I come a little earlier today?" Max asked. "Cindy has a date and has kicked me out of the apartment." She wanted to ask if she could stay over tonight but she figured that would be a little bold.

"No problem. You can take advantage of my hot water supply while I get dinner ready," Logan suggested, feeling very happy and enthusiastic all of a sudden.

"How could I refuse? So I'll be over after work then," Max said, trying hard to suppress the smile that crept on her face. Better not let him know how thrilled she was that he asked her over for the night.

"Okay. See ya soon Max," Logan replied, now smiling himself.

"See ya Logan," Max said and hung up. Maybe this day wasn't such a bitch after all.

**Max & OC's apartment, 6:00 pm:**

"Smells good boo," Max said after entering the apartment and pushing her bike behind the curtain of her bedroom so it was out of the way. "Didn't know you can cook."

"If you give Original Cindy a good enough reason she can do almost everything," she replied and threw another handful of ingredients into the sizzling pot.

"Yeah well. Just don't get your hopes up too high. You've only known the girl for a few hours. Don't think just because you cook dinner for her she'll put out." Max warned good-naturedly.

"Original Cindy won't even listen to you. If everybody moved with the speed you and Logan move, then nobody would ever get the happies," Cindy countered.

"Oh please. Not again. I'm gonna grab some clothes and then I'm outta here," Max announced and moved to her room to stuff some clothes in her backpack.

"Where ya going boo?" Cindy asked, entering Max's bedroom and leaning on the dresser.

"I'm going to Logan's. And don't even start. I had to go somewhere since you kicked me out," Max declared and gave Cindy the 'don't-mess-with-me' glare.

"Whatevah boo. Enjoy your Valentines dinner. Just don't come home too early tomorrow morning. Original Cindy might not be a morning person when it comes to work, but when it comes to pleasure..." OC trailed off and left Max alone to finish packing.

**Fogle towers, 6:30 pm:**

"Hey, why am I not smelling anything heavenly?" Max asked as soon as she entered the penthouse. Usually when he invited her for dinner it already smelled like food by the time she arrived.

"Hey Max. I'm still chopping everything up so it's ready when I need it. I didn't know if you wanted a shower or a hot bath first," Logan explained. He noticed Max's stuffed backpack but didn't dare to get his hopes up that she might stay for the night – or even the weekend.

"You mean that if I wanted to soak in your tub for an hour you'd wait with dinner till I'm ready?" Max asked, helping herself to a glass of wine and refilling Logan's'.

"Yep. That's the plan," Logan confirmed and smiled at her excitement about taking a bath.

"So you got any bubbles?" Max asked, grabbing her glass and backpack and moving towards Logan's bedroom.

"Check the cabinet under the sink. You'll find everything you need there," Logan instructed and stopped chopping for a few seconds to watch Max's retreating form – especially the swaying of her jeans clad hips.

She seemed to be relaxed and in a good mood tonight. He had been a little nervous about the evening because he didn't know whether Max thought it was a Valentine's date. But seeing her so relaxed helped him relax too. It would be just a normal dinner as friends.

Music! We need music. Oh and candles too.

7:15 pm

After soaking in Logan's huge bathtub for over half an hour Max decided that it was time to get out. After all, Logan and one of his culinary miracles were waiting for her. She could really get used to all that. Endless hot water supply, freshly cooked food and the company of the man she l...iked.

She wrapped herself in one of Logan's big, fluffy towels, opened the bathroom door a few inches and yelled, "Logan. I'll be there in 15 okay."

"Take your time Max. I'll get dinner started," Logan yelled back and turned on the stove for the oil in the wok to heat up. Next he poured the dressing over the salad and pulled out a pot to boil the rice in.

While Max had been in the tub he had busied himself picking out the right music, setting the table and lighting lots of candles. He uncorked the wine and even put a vase with a single red rose on the table, hoping that wasn't too over the top romantic.

He didn't have time to reconsider that, since the oil was hot enough and he had to start frying the meat and the vegetables and put the rice in the boiling water.

Five minutes later Max entered the kitchen, dressed in loose grey sweatpants and a long-sleeved navy blue shirt, and inhaled deeply. "Now that's the way it's supposed to smell."

"It'll take another 10 minutes. Wine?" Logan asked and lifted the bottle of pre-pulse Chardonnay.

"Sure," Max agreed and hopped on the kitchen counter, holding out her glass so he could pour the wine.

"So how as the bath?" Logan asked, stirring his vegetables but focusing solely on Max. She looked even more relaxed now. Her hair was still damp and a little curly. Her cheeks where a little flushed from the hot bath and her outfit was casual and she only wore socks. She looked like she felt right at home here. He could get used to that.

"Uhhhm. It was awesome Logan. Beat the shit out of heating pots of water for two hours," Max answered, sipping her wine and watching him cook. It all felt really domestic to her. Of course she had noticed the candles and the music and that simple red rose. But that was Logan. He manages to make every dinner special. And tonight was no different from any other night. He didn't do all that because it was Valentine's Day; he did it because he liked pampering her. She would never object.

"Okay. Dinner is about done. Would you mind bringing the wine and our glasses to the table while I get the rest ready?" Logan asked already busy arranging the main course.

"No problem. I can do that much," Max said and jumped off the counter to get the whine while Logan carried the rice, salad and stir-fry over to the candle lit table.

"Smells great Logan. Let's eat," Max announced, put the bread on the table and took her seat across from Logan.

They ate a few minutes in relative silence, only occasionally interrupted by some compliments to the chef from Max.

"So you said you got kicked out of the apartment?" Logan suddenly asked, trying to make conversation, but also trying to figure out if Max would stay for the night.

"Yeah. Cindy met this girl last night at Crash and is cooking her dinner tonight. She even warned me not to come home too early in the morning." Max answered and continued to eat. Then she realized what she had said and looked over at Logan to see how he too her 'morning' statement. Maybe he didn't want her to stay over. Or maybe he would have liked a choice in that matter.

"I wouldn't worry about coming home too early. After all, I never got to impress you with my breakfast skills. Pancakes, Omelets, French toast and Waffles. It'll take all morning to eat all that – even for you," Logan teased her. He was glad that the 'sleeping-arrangements' talk was settled. Now all they had to do was relax and enjoy the evening.

"Cool. So what's on the agenda tonight?" Max asked, relieved that he seemed to be quite thrilled about her staying over night and about serving her a huge breakfast in the morning.

"Whatever you want. We could watch a movie, or play chess or just sit and talk," Logan suggested, finishing his dinner.

"Well, the night is still young. We can do all of it. Let's start with the movie. Why don't you go set everything up and I do the dishes?" Max decided and started gathering their plates.

"I can help you," Logan offered but Max shook her head.

"No, no. You cooked, I clean up. Take the wine and our glasses and go to the living room. I'll be there in 5. I just put it all in the dishwasher," Max ordered.

"Okay, okay. I set the DVD player up. Any preferences on the movie?" Logan asked while moving towards the living room.

"Nothing too serious, heavy or sappy. Maybe something funny," Max mused, not really familiar with pre-pulse movies.

"Funny? Okay. Ever heard of Mel Brooks?" Logan suggested. "Really funny. Really old too, but funny."

"I don't care. If you say it's good then let's watch it," Max agreed and stored the last pot into the dish washer. That done, she killed all the lights in the penthouse and carried the candles from and around the dinner table to the living room where Logan was already sitting comfortably on the couch, sipping his wine and waiting for her.

"Okay. We're all set," Max said as she plopped down next to Logan. He smiled at her and handed her the wine glass.

"Alright. Let's start the movie. It's Mel Brooks' Dracula – Dead and Loving It. You'll gonna love it," Logan promised and started the movie. Max pulled her legs up on the couch, set her glass on the coffee table in front of her and cuddled further into the couch cushion.

"Comfortable?" Logan asked, watching her with amusement.

"Very much," Max confirmed, gave a grin and a wink in his direction and concentrated on the movie.

10:30 pm

"That was one of the stupidest movies I've ever seen Logan." Max said and stretched out on the couch while Logan turned the DVD player off and hooked the satellite receiver back on.

"Oh come on Max. You were laughing so hard I had to rewind a couple of times so we wouldn't miss a few scenes," Logan reminded her.

"I didn't say it wasn't funny. It was just really stupid," Max explained.

"Wait till we see 'Spy Hard' or the 'Naked Gun' trilogy. They are all stupid. But you gonna love them," Logan promised, refilled their glasses and gestured for Max to lift her feet so he could sit back down again.

"So you wanna play some chess now?" Logan asked, wanting to follow through with Max' agenda.

"No. Not really," Max replied and without giving it a lot of thought put her feet in his lap so that her calves rested on his right thigh and her feet touched his left one.

"Good. I didn't really feel like getting my ass kicked anyway," Logan said and rested his hands on her shinbones – hoping he wouldn't get his ass kicked for that move. But Max didn't seem to mind. On second thought, she seemed to enjoy it since she closed her eyes and relaxed.

"I wonder what Original Cindy is doing now," Max wondered out loud.

"I don't know. I'm no expert on that topic," Logan answered, even though he wasn't sure if Max really expected an answer.

"On what? Lesbians or dating?" Max asked and blinked one eye open to look at him.

"Lesbians, I guess. Not really my expertise." Logan replied.

"Yeah. From what OC says things develop rather quickly in their world. They see each other, like each other and then move in together," Max explained, remembering what Cindy had told her not so long ago.

"Well if it works out, that's good. But if they move too fast, they might ruin something that could've been something serious and lasting," Logan said, unconsciously moving one of his hands up and down her lower leg.

"Maybe. But if they don't move at all they might be missing out on the real thing," Max argued. She was acutely aware of his hand moving and wondered if they were actually still talking about Original Cindy and her new lickety chick.

"You never know for sure. That's why it's so damn complicated. If you risk it you might lose," Logan continued.

"But if you never risk it you might lose too. And you're left with a lot of 'What-if's'," Max replied.

"I guess you just have to decide what you would rather want to cope with. Regret for something you did or 'What-if's' for something you could've done but never did," Logan summarized their conversation results so far.

"I suppose you can regret both. How did the old saying go: Better regret the things that you've done than the things you haven't done. Or something like that," Max said and finally opened her eyes to find Logan looking at her intently.

"Are we still talking about Original Cindy?" Logan asked in a deep, slightly raspy voice.

"I don't know. Are we?" Max answered with a question of her own. What if she says the wrong thing? What if he didn't want the same? And what the hell was it that she wanted?

"You know there is no way we can take it back Max," Logan warned her. Before he made a move he needed to know that she wanted the same thing.

"No. Not this time," Max replied, reminding him of their first miserable attempt at being more than 'just friends'.

"No regrets then," Logan said with a smile and slowly lowered himself towards Max.

"No regrets," Max echoed with a hushed voice.

Logan moved still closer, all the while looking into Max's eyes. A few inches from her lips he stopped. He had heard Max say that she wouldn't regret it. Now he needed to see it in her eyes before he made that last, final move.

Max was a little confused at first when he stopped. But now she knew that he was giving her one last chance to bolt from this, from them. But she was more than ready. More than willing to take the next logical step in their 'relationship'. So she slowly raised her hands to his face and pulled him the last few inches towards her waiting lips.

END of Chapter 1

_AN: So how did you like it? More to come soon. And since it's a challenge you all know that it will have whipped cream in it – what more could you ask for?_


	2. Mad Love

One long Valentine's Day 

Author: lfbrox

Rating: M

Romance/Humor

Timeframe: Season 1. Sometime between Art Attack and The Kidz Are Aiight. So Logan can walk. Let's forget about the Lydecker, Zack and the Reds. This is supposed to be a story about Valentine's Day – M/L style.

_AN: Here's the second part to the Valentine's Day Challenge. I hope you like it. I got the whipped cream and the chocolate and the blindfold in it. So enjoy it._

_Thanks to Maria656 for loosing some sleep to get this beta-ed. _

_And Happy Birthday again to X318, thanks for initiating this Challenge._

**Chapter 2: Mad love**

"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." – Friedrich Nietzsche

**Logan's living room, 11:00 pm:**

Lots of soft, explorative, lingering, nibbling and tongue-less kisses later they slowly pulled apart. Max still had her legs in his lap. Her left arm played with the hair on his neck and her right one stroke up and down his shoulder and arm. Logan was lying next to Max on his side, held upright by his right elbow so he wouldn't sprawl on top of her, while his other hand held her face, his thump softly tracing her cheekbone.

"Still no regrets?" Logan asked, smiling down at her.

"The only regret is that we haven't done it earlier," Max replied, returning his smile.

"The good news is that we have about a year to make up for," Logan said and without waiting for Max's reply, lowered his head to kiss her again.

This kiss started out as explorative as their first ones but soon both wanted more. Grabbing his head in an almost iron grip Max tilted his head to the side, opened her mouth slightly and darted her tongue out, requesting access to his mouth.

Taken aback by her move, Logan opened his eyes and drew back to look at her. "I've wanted to do this since the first time I saw you." Logan admitted.

"Then do it Logan. Do it," Max encouraged him, pulling him down towards her waiting lips. He wasted no time invading her mouth, feeling her, tasting her, devouring her. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he was kissing Max, that he felt her tongue exploring his mouth as if she owned it while he did the same with hers. He dreamed it, imagined it more than he'd like to admit. But the reality of kissing Max was so much more than he ever expected. Her lips were soft against his. Her tongue was making love to his. Her hands were setting him on fire. Her breath was softly caressing his skin. She was addictive. He never wanted to stop.

His left hand moved from her face to her waist, touching the few inches of naked skin her shirt revealed, caressing it softly. The other arm, he previously used to stay upright, moved up to her face to nudge her head further to the side so he could deepen the kiss. He moved his feet from the floor to the couch and was now laying half sprawled on top of her. He had no idea how far this was gonna go. As far as he was concerned he was more than content to just keep kissing her.

Damn she smelled good. She tasted good and she felt even better wrapped in his arms. He hoped she was ready for this. Hoped she wouldn't bolt. Hoped he wouldn't mess it up. Because more than anything in the world he wanted it to work, wanted them to work. He took the risk. He didn't want to deal with regret.

Max was having similar thoughts. Although his kiss was leaving her more than speech- and breathless -–she wasn't thoughtless. There was still that little nagging voice in the back of her head going: '_Better enjoy it now girl. You can't have that forever'_. She knew that voice. It had warned her about settling down. It had warned her about making friends. It had warned her about forming any attachments. And it was warning her now.

Even as she was returning Logan's kiss, she already felt the pain of losing him. She couldn't let that happen. As good and right as it felt she needed to stop it before it went too far.

"Logan," Max gasped, pushing her hands flat against his chest so he would get her signal to stop.

"Max. Something wrong?" Logan asked breathlessly, looking at her with irritation and also concern. He hoped that she asked him to stop because she wanted to take it slow, or because she wanted everything to be more romantic. He was hoping against all hopes that she wasn't already regretting it. That she wasn't gonna jump from that couch, telling him she had to blaze.

"Logan. This totally feels too good to be true," Max said, her hands still resting against his chest; but not pushing anymore, just feeling him.

"And you mean that...in a good way?" Logan asked with a smile, hoping that if he kept it light and teasing she wouldn't panic and bolt.

"In a way yes. But I also feel like this is going to get us in trouble. In a bad way," Max explained, not sure how to express herself so she wouldn't hurt is feelings.

"What kind of trouble do you mean? Eyes Only trouble? Manticore trouble? Or the trouble in general of living in a broken world?" Logan asked, still trying to sound unconcerned.

"The everyday troubles we could manage and survive. It's the other two; especially the Manticore trouble I'm talking about. Logan they are looking for me. And if I don't lay low they will find me. And then kill me. And with me everyone I love," Max answered.

"And how would that situation change if we are together? Or if we are not together? You said it yourself Max. You tried your whole life to run as far away from them as you can. And every time your cooked up genetics surprise you with yet another bad side effect you feel like they are controlling you, like you could never get away from them. But Max, if you sacrifice friends and love, you are allowing them to control you," Logan argued, getting a little aggravated now. How could she tell him that getting involved was a bad idea in the long run when she also tells him, albeit indirectly, that she loved him?

"You think it's that simple Logan?" Max asked in a low, defeated voice.

"Yes. And I also think it would be a bad idea not to try it. We need each other Max. When I get in trouble saving a widow, small child, or lost animal, you come and save my sorry ass. And when Lydecker is in town looking for you, I have your back, saving you, sending Lydecker in a different direction or the good old leave the country for a while. Only next time, I'm coming with you – not Zack," Logan said, sounding very possessive at the end.

"Really?" Max asked, now smiling again. Leave it to Logan Cale to understand, analyze and solve a problem within mere seconds. Well, the problem wasn't exactly solved. But what he said was the truth. They had always had each others backs. Always worried and cared for one another. Nothing would change where their professional relationship was concerned. Maybe he was right and they really should risk that private relationship thing – without Eyes Only or Manticore involved. Just Max and Logan.

"Yes really. Like I said. We can't take anything back anymore. We can't hide how we feel. We can't deny what we want. And I want you Max. And everything that comes with it. Good and bad. Easy and difficult. I tried to deny it to myself for so long, but now that I admitted it to myself there is no turning back," Logan told her, again caressing her face softly. Then he looked her deep in the eyes and broke down the last barrier that had remained between them.

"I love you Max." There. Short and simple and nothing but the truth. He had nothing to add.

Max felt like all her breath had been knocked out of her lungs. He said it. He loved her. And she loved him. But the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. She hoped that action spoke louder than words and pulled him down for a hungry kiss. She would say it – eventually. For now this had to be enough.

She opened her lips and traced his lips with her tongue, needing a deeper contact with him. He didn't seem to mind her lack of a verbal response. He opened his lips and boldly invaded her mouth with his tongue.

She was a great kisser. Her tongue just knew how to duel with his. Her lips moved over his just right. One of her hands again moved to his neck to draw him even closer, while the other one pulled on his left arm so he would stop supporting himself on it and instead was now half sprawled on top of her.

Why the hell they've been waiting so long neither of them knew, why they had been discussing if this was a good idea a few minutes ago was beyond them. All they knew at that moment was that nothing had ever felt so good and right before.

Max wound her arms around his shoulders and pulled him towards her while pressing up against his chest. She couldn't get him close enough. They were both breathing heavily through their noses, oxygen becoming an issue, but they couldn't be bothered by something so ordinary as the lack of breath.

Their movements became more frantic, more desperate. If it was due to the lack of oxygen or the fact that they couldn't get enough of kissing and touching each other – neither of them cared. Logan covered Max's body fully now. His left hand wandered down her side and up her leg that she had wrapped around his hip.

Max felt him hard against her and she was proud of the fact that she was the cause of his arousal. Her own state of arousal was beyond anything she had ever felt. Her nipples were hard, rubbing against his chest, aching to be freed of clothing and touched by the man that stole her breath and long ago had stolen her heart.

Sweat started to form on her forehead. Her fingers raked through his sweat-matted hair. She felt like she was burning up. His weight pressed down on her, pushing her deeper into the couch cushions. She was on fire. In any other situation she would feel like she's trapped and being suffocated. But with Logan it was different. She still wanted him closer, craved more. Unashamed and regardless of appearance she clung to him moaning, yes almost sobbing in his mouth, desperate for more.

Logan was in heaven. He felt his blood rush through his veins. His heart was beating out of control, his breathing was ragged. He felt every soft curve of Max underneath him. Felt her hands touching his body as she pleased. Heard her desperate moans and gasps. Felt her hot breath on his face. Never in his life had he kissed someone like that. Never had he been kissed back that way.

His body demanded more. His mind was screaming at him to take of their clothes before they burnt up. But his soul soared. His heart was dancing. And all the while he kept kissing her with a desperate need. But not desperate to mate or desperate for more physical contact. He was desperate to feel. All the emotions, desires, wants and needs that he didn't allow himself to feel for so long he poured in the kiss. All the love and tenderness for her, he had kept hidden – even from himself – he expressed in his gentle touch.

Max felt that and tried to return it with all her might. It was the end of the old and the beginning of the new. Logan. Her friend, her partner, her confidant, her rock and now finally her love. She knew that he must feel her love for him in her kiss and her touch. But now she needed to tell him. Say the words he needed to hear. Say the words she needed to say. Say the words she hadn't been ready to say ten minutes ago.

Slowly her hands moved to his face, caressing his cheeks. Then she slowly opened her eyes and with one last smack on his lips ended the 10 minute lip-lock. She felt his heavy breath on her face. Felt his accelerated heartbeat. His eyes looked down on her with so much love and tenderness that her breath caught in her throat and she had to blink back tears.

"I love you Logan." Never had she said those words to a man before and she had the feeling that she would never say those words to anyone but him for as long as she lived.

"I love you too Max." With that, no more words were needed. Max guided his head back down to hers to seal this perfect moment with a kiss. After all the discussion about consequences and confessions of love it was time to simply feel, to give in to what they truly wanted and needed.

As in a choreographed dance Logan's body moved into a kneeling position and Max followed without interrupting or even slightly disturbing the kiss. Max hands moved to the hem of his shirt while his grasped the hem of hers. Then they both pulled up. And that's where the choreography ended. Their kiss broke automatically as their laughter erupted.

"We might have to work on that a little," Logan remarked after his laughter subsided.

"I guess that can be arranged. For now, I go first," Max decided and grabbed the hem of his shirt once again, and with his assistance moved it over his head and out of the way. She had seen him without a shirt on before, but this time she didn't need to pretend that it didn't affect her. His chest was well defined, his shoulders and upper arms were strong and his chest hair that ran v-shaped down his body and disappeared in the waistband of his jeans transfixed her.

He gave her all the time in the world to study his body eager to do the same with hers. But Max wasn't done yet. She first ran both hands slowly from his neck down his strong arms, amazed at how soft his skin was. Running her hand back up she gently moved to his chest, wove her fingers in his chest hair and grazed his nipples lightly with her nails, delighted to hear him gasp in response.

His skin was white in contrast with her olive colored complexion. She rested her hand over his heart, feeling it beating strong and steady. Next she used only her fingertips and moved lower, tracing his abs, caressing his sides, dipping in his belly button. She felt him drawing in a deep breath and shot him a wicked grin while her hands followed the fine line of hair until she reached his pants. With a swift movement she popped the button open and just as she was about to reach for the zipper Logan's hands stopped her.

"I believe now it's my turn," Logan explained huskily.

"Oh, so we're doing this quid-pro-quo thing in the bedroom too?" Max asked with amusement. How she loved this man. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning about to open the best present in the world. And she wouldn't let him wait. She lifted her hand over her head obediently and Logan wasted no time to divest her of the long sleeved shirt.

Maybe she should've warned him that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath but she figured that he must have figured it out already while lying on top of her. Apparently he hadn't judging by his gasp and his wide eyes at the sight in front of him.

All he could do was stare at the beauty that was Max in all her naked glory. He was still clutching the shirt in his hands, unable to move, so Max took mercy on him. She gently pulled her shirt from his hands and threw it on the floor. That must have pulled him out of his trance for suddenly she found herself pressed against this naked chest and her mouth engaged in a heated kiss. It felt indescribable. Heated, naked flesh pressed on equally hot and naked skin. Max had read about those 'electric jolts' that go through you at this intimate contact in those sappy love novels from Kendra – even though she would never admit reading them – but she always thought it to be a figure of speech….until now.

She was glad he had such a good grip on her, because she was sure that was all that held her on her knees. That first touch of her sensitized flesh and nipples against his firm chest was the most erotic thing she had ever felt. She never wanted it to end, but suddenly Logan pulled back.

"God, you're absolutely beautiful Max," Logan said, gazing at her exposed body with what can only be described as hunger. "But please warn me next time."

"Okay. I give you a head start then," Max rasped seductively and leaned closer to him so she could whisper in his ear. "I don't wear any underwear either."

"Oh god. You're gonna be the death of me," he chuckled against her neck, concentrating now on discovering her body.

"Yeah. But what a way to go, huh?" Max replied, but in an instant lost all her sassy wit as soon as he sucked at the spot where shoulder meets neck. She gasped involuntarily having never before realized what a sensitive spot that was for her.

Logan stored that information, planning on visiting again later. He had to move lower now, taste her sweet flesh, discover all her sensitive spots, learn how to please his angel. He used his tongue, teeth and lips. First tracing her collarbone then moving lower to caress the upper swell of her breast while all the while running his hands softly over her abdomen. She had the softest skin in the world. Her taste and smell were unique. He knew he never smelled like that after using the shower gel she did. It was all Max and he couldn't get enough of her taste, her smell and her moans, gasps and soft sighs.

He didn't want to rush it but he was magically drawn to her breasts. While cupping and kneading her left breast with his hand he sucked greedily on the other one. Max's hands wound in his hair pressing him closer and holding him there. He was so talented with his mouth; she looked forward to whatever else he might do with it.

He moved to her other breast, treating it the same way while his hands moved down her back to her butt, cupping it he realized that she hadn't been kidding about the 'no underwear' part.

"Lie down," he rasped against her skin and Max happily obliged, spreading out once again underneath him on the couch. Logan knelt above her with his knees on either side of her thighs, not once taking his mouth from her sweet flesh. He left her breast and traced a path of wet, open-mouthed kissed down her abdomen. He felt her muscles flutter and heard her sharp intake of breath when he dipped and swirled his tongue in her navel. He also heard something else, and again the seriousness of this moment took a leave and gave way for laughter.

"I guess I should have fed you more than just a one-course dinner," Logan chuckled, looking up at her.

"Yeah well. You haven't exactly outdone yourself, but I can see that you are more than willing to make up for the lack of food," Max teased and once again her stomach growled loudly.

"I actually had a dessert planned, but I couldn't find all the ingredients," Logan explained and crawled up her body, lying down beside her. He was amazed at how easy this all was, like they've never done anything else. He threw one leg lazily over her thighs and caressed her stomach softly.

"Of course I still don't have all the ingredients, but I'm more than happy to improvise," Logan offered with a smile and a quick kiss.

"Only if you promise that we'll continue where we left off after dessert," Max said, hating the thought to stop this but loving Logan's desserts too much to resist.

"After dessert?" Logan asked in feigned shock. "As far as I'm concerned we can continue what we were doing during dessert," he suggested with a wink.

"Didn't your parents teach you that you aren't supposed to play with food?" Max asked, enjoying their old bantering in their new relationship.

"No. We were rich. Besides, if we do it my way we don't need plates or napkins. We would save the clean-up," Logan reasoned.

"In that case, bring it on!" Max agreed.

"How about you move to the bedroom while I get the dessert?" Logan suggested on his way to the kitchen.

"Okay. But I hope it won't get too messy. We still have to sleep in that bed you know," Max said as she got up and moved towards the bedroom to light some candles while Logan was busy in the kitchen.

"Don't worry. I promise to clean you off good," Logan replied with a grin. How thrilled was he earlier when she said she would sleep in his apartment. And now having her say that she would stay with him in his bed was almost too good to be true.

"Alright. I'm ready. Close your eyes Max," Logan said, walking from the kitchen to the bedroom carrying a tray.

"Why?" Max asked back, not sure what for.

"It's more fun this way. Plus the food tastes better that way because you concentrate only on the taste and nothing else," Logan explained and was satisfied to see Max lying on his bed with her eyes closed.

"And just to make sure that you don't peek…," Logan trailed off, bringing a blindfold to her eyes and carefully fastened it behind her head.

"That really wasn't necessary Logan," Max remarked dryly, but didn't try to take it off again. After all: his game, his rules.

"Maybe not," Logan simply said and prepared the feast. He had hoped to find fresh strawberries, but that was almost impossible in February, so strawberry taste would have to do.

Max lied patiently on the bed, listening to Logan rustle about with something on the nightstand. She tried to smell what it was but couldn't figure it out. Suddenly she felt the bed dip next to her, felt Logan's warm hand softly caressing her belly. Next she felt something cold being spread on her stomach.

"Hey. I'm the hungry one. But I have the feeling this dessert is more for you than me," Max complained.

"Don't worry Max," was all Logan said and spread more of the creamy substance on her belly. Satisfied with his work he bent his head and ran his tongue over her stomach, spreading the cream higher to her still clean breasts.

After playing with her nipples for a few precious seconds he moved lower again and licked more of the cream off of her. But instead of spreading it or swallowing it himself he moved up to her lips giving her a taste, using his tongue to spread it in her mouth.

"Mmmh. Strawberry cream," Max said after Logan ended the sweet kiss.

"Correct. But there's more," Logan said, watching Max's face intently. She didn't seem uncomfortable with this arrangement. She actually seemed to enjoy it a lot. "Open your mouth," he commanded and reached for the little oval-shaped treats on the nightstand. He dipped one in the whipped cream and brought it to her lips, tracing them lightly with it.

Of her own accord Max' tongue darted out of her mouth to 'see' what Logan got there. But he continued teasing her with it, almost placing it in her mouth only to pull back when Max got too close with her teeth and tongue.

Finally he dropped the small ball of chocolate bathed in strawberry cream in her mouth. Max savored the taste of the melting chocolate in her mouth for a few moments then chewed and swallowed it. It was delicious – apparently Logan was right about the intensified taste when one of your other senses was disabled.

"Taste good?" Logan asked.

"See for yourself," Max replied and blindly grabbed for his head bringing it down to her to give him a taste of her mouth. For the next ten minutes he alternated between licking cream of her belly and breasts and feeding her chocolate – everytime tasting her mouth afterwards. Max was almost ready to burst by now, and with her appetite for food sated she decided that turnabout was fair play. In mid-kiss she applied a little of her strength and flipped Logan on his back with her on top now. Breaking the kiss she sat up on his stomach, reached up and undid the blindfold.

"My turn to play," Max whispered seductively and without giving him a lot of time to marvel at the sight of her sitting topless and with a glistening torso on his chest, fastened the blindfold over his eyes.

Mimicking his previous actions, she spread a generous amount of whipped cream over his whole chest and immediately began to lick him clean. She started to swirl her tongue through his belly button, moved a little lower, so her lips and tongue just grazed the top of the waistband of his pants and at his groan and thrust of his hips upward she grinned and moved back up to trace his abs.

Logan's hands clutched the bed sheets by the time Max had reached his nipples and made a great production of sucking and licking the creamy substance off him. Finally his chest was mostly clean and Max claimed his lips for a hungry kiss. She reached up and undid the blindfold, needing to see his eyes. Needing to see the desire and lust in them. The time for kinky foreplay was definitely over.

Max' body pressed against his, her mouth kissed him greedily while Logan's hand roamed her body and ground her hips against his arousal, letting her feel how bad he wanted her. This time he took the initiative and turned them around. He pushed his hips against hers once and at her loud moan ended the kiss, lifted himself off her and knelt between her spread legs. He looked her in the eyes and smiled. She smiled back and without a word Logan reached for the waistband of her sweatpants and started to pull them down. She assisted him by raising her hips, and Logan pulled them further down, this time prepared to find her without panties.

In spite of his preparedness, the sight still took his breath away. She lay completely naked in front of him. Her legs were spread, giving him a clear look at her ready and glistening center. He could smell her arousal and felt almost dizzy with want.

Max let him watch, enjoying his reaction and the soft caresses of his hand on her thighs. But eventually she lost her patience. They'd been making out heavily for almost an hour and now she wanted nothing more than to act on the passion he had provoked.

"Take your pants off Logan and come here!" Max ordered, reaching out a hand for him but making no attempt to move from her position. Tonight she wanted him to make love to her, wanted to feel his weight on her and his chest pressed against her skin. She wanted him to show her the difference between sex and making love.

Quickly, and with a wide smile he stripped off his pants and boxer shorts, threw them randomly off the bed and slowly crawled up her body. On his way up he left some hot and wet kisses on her thighs, her hip bone, her abdomen and stopped a few seconds to play with her belly button. Then he moved higher to play with her breasts some more, making her squirm underneath him with anticipation.

He couldn't be rushed. He slowly nibbled his way up to her waiting mouth and settled his full weight on her, kissing her madly and swallowing her moans at the first contact of his hard arousal against her hot, wet center. Her fingers raked over his sweaty back, tangled in his hair than moved lower to grasp his butt pulling him hard against her, needing him desperately …now.

Logan was ready too. He had never been this aroused for such a long period of time, but everything about Max turned him on. He just hoped he had enough control left to make it good for her and show her how much she meant to him, show her how much he loved her.

Max wrapped her legs around his waist and arched against him as a last hint, before she had to stop kissing him and tell him to finally get to it. She was all out of patience and needed to feel him inside of her now. Logan got the hint; as a matter of fact he got her first one too, but he needed to get some control back before he embarrassed himself. So he broke their kiss and looked into her glazed-over eyes. He caressed her cheek softly with one hand while propping up on one elbow to take some weight off of her and also gain the leverage he needed to enter and move within her.

Slowly he pushed inside her, all the while holding her gaze, watching her face. He didn't want to hurt her, he didn't want to rush it and he wanted to know what she liked. Soon he was fully sheathed in her hot, wet and tight core. Her legs tightened and locked around his hips, holding him to her, enjoying the moment of their first intimate joining.

"I love you Max," Logan whispered huskily, overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment.

"I love you too," Max whispered back. This was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. When he told her he loved her, she knew he meant it, and her replying to him wasn't a reflex because she thought he wanted to hear it. She meant it too.

Still watching her, he began to move within her, thrusting slowly and gently. He memorized every gasp and every harsh intake of breath from her in response to something he did. He had the intention of becoming an expert in the art of loving her.

For long minutes he kept his slow pace, only changing the intensity and angle of his penetration. His free hand moved to her breasts, teasing her hard nipples and Max expressed her approval with little 'oh', 'ah' and 'uh' sounds that drove Logan mad. He moved his hands lower to caress her outer thigh and then let it come to a rest on her hip, holding her still so he could speed up his movements to his liking – and to hers as well.

Soon Max removed his hand from her hip, wanting to be able to move with him. So while Logan was in control of speed, Max controlled the intensity of their movements by shoving her hips up hard in time to meet Logan's downward thrusts. Her hands tightened around his torso, holding his upper half close to her while their lower halves met faster and harder.

Their lips locked in a hungry kiss, swallowing some of their moans, gasps and nonsense words. Both were bathed in sweat by now, their breathing was ragged due to their exhausting exercise and their stubborn refusal to break their kiss.

Max felt herself nearing the edge quickly and she could tell Logan was too. His rhythm became unsteady and more erratic, he thrust into her harder and deeper and when she felt herself begin to climax he broke the kiss and fastened his lips on the sensitive spot on her neck which he had previously discovered. With a scream of his and god's name she came; her orgasm intensified by his enthusiastic sucking and biting that spot. Her hips went still as her orgasm slowly subsided and that was the signal for Logan to let go and with a few last thrusts and a lion-like growl came inside her.

Spent and utterly satisfied he dropped down on Max who lay equally spent and boneless underneath him. She loosened her legs from around his hips and stretched them out alongside his so they were now touching from head to toe. Her arms remained loosely wrapped around his shoulders, wanting to keep him there.

Being the gentleman that he was, he swiftly turned them around, reversing their previous position, so he wouldn't crush her – even though that was highly unlikely. Max lifted her head from where it rested on his shoulder and for the first time in the aftermath of their lovemaking their eyes met.

She raised her hands and ran her fingertips softly over his beautiful features. She was never one to bask in the afterglow or turned all sappy afterwards, confessing that it had never been so good for her before. And she wouldn't confess how good it was for her. She didn't need to. She was sure he could see it, just the way she saw everything she needed to know in his eyes. The love. The happiness. And the faith that they could really make it.

TBC

_AN: That's it for now. I hope you liked it. And there's a third part if you want it._

_Lfbrox_


End file.
